Tag Archives: Resolution for new year 2012: living a barefoot life

Going barefoot, I realized, is a perfect metaphor for my philosophy of life: the barefoot philosophy.

When you go barefoot, you become naked, you simplify, you become a minimalist.

It’s the simple life, in a nutshell.
The Barefoot Philosophy, in Bits
Light: When you’re barefoot, you feel light, and you’re not burdened by stuff. In anything in life, if you can be light, it’s a wonderful feeling. Think traveling light, or moving to a new city without too much stuff.
Free: Walking barefoot, you feel free, without the restrictions of shoes. The fewer burdens and restrictions you have in life, the freer you are. Think of how easy it would be to pick up and travel, or move, or change jobs, or do something with a friend in the middle of a work day.
Naked: Without shoes, you feel a bit naked, and being naked in public is scary. But it’s also an exhilarating feeling, and once you get comfortable with that nakedness, it’s kinda fun. Blogging can feel this way — you’re putting yourself out into the world, naked, and that’s scary at first. Doing anything different, where you expose a piece of yourself, is like being naked. But you get used to it, and it’s not so scary.
Pleasureful: The point of walking barefoot is to experience the pleasure of feeling the surface beneath your feet. The sensations are marvelous: cool, warm, textured, plush, smooth, rough. In anything in life, if you can experience the sensations of whatever you’re doing, this is a beautiful thing. Think of the sensations of eating, swimming, washing dishes, sitting on a breezy porch, lying in the grass under the sun, kissing in the rain.
Aware: Walking barefoot, you’re more aware of the ground you’re walking over — when you’re shod, you can walk for miles without really thinking about the surfaces you’re traveling over. In anything you do, increasing your awareness of your surroundings is a desirable thing. Think of walking outside vs. being inside a car, or shutting off the mobile device so you can talk to the people around you or pay attention to the beauty around you.
Present: The beauty of walking barefoot is that it brings you back to the present moment. It’s hard to be stuck in a perceived slight by someone else earlier in the day, or worry about what might happen later in the day, when you are walking barefoot. In anything you do, if you can stay in the present moment, you will experience life to the fullest, will be less likely to be stuck in anger or consumed by worry or stressed by coming events.
Non-conformist: One of the hardest things about walking barefoot isn’t the temperature or possible pain of pebbles, it’s the non-conformity of it all — it’s being worried that others will think you’re a dork, or homeless, or some kind of dangerous radical. And yet, I’ve learned to embrace my non-conformist side, to relish in being a bit different, to be proud I’m not one of the sheep. There’s nothing wrong with bucking societal norms, if it’s for good reason.
Non-consumerist: The shoe companies would hate it if there were a major barefoot movement, because they’re no product they could sell you as a solution. This isn’t true of environmentalism — there are tons of green products that are making millions of dollars for corporations. I believe in ditching shoes like I believe in ditching any kind of product that you buy as a solution to life’s problems. Life is better with less, not more, and when you think of yourself as a human rather than a consumer, you’re breaking free from the endless cycle of earning and buying and using up.

How to Live a Barefoot Life
Get rid of a couple boxes of clutter today.
When you leave your house, take less with you than usual.
When you find yourself worried about the future or past, breathe, and focus on your breath going in and out.
When you find yourself wanting to buy something, pause. Then think of how you can live without buying it.
Take time to fully enjoy a few simple pleasures today: the slow savoring of a small portion of something delicious, watching nature, spending time with a loved one, walking.
Try some minimalist fun.
Think of the restrictions you impose on yourself, and see if you can lift a few of them.
Smile, and breathe.
Most of all, be present and enjoy life.

Walking barefoot tips
Of course, it is highly recommended to start barefooting on smooth surfaces. They are very enjoyable. Take your time when walking and feel all the tactile stimulations and especially the ground’s temperature. You will be very surprised of the variety of textures and feelings. A good way to improve is to walk barefoot as often as possible, especially at home. When it is not possible, use flip flops because, at least, you will train your feet to ambient temperature. Progressively, your soles will change into a soft leather (skin very different from the heel) and you will be able to walk on more surfaces and more places. Usually, it takes less than 10 walks (10 to 30 minutes each ) on the pavement to note some change. Don’t worry, you will not lose your sensitivity ! You will become more tolerant to puncture and temperature.

To improve, it is better to walk on ground with a strong texture to strengthen foot and sole muscles. You will further improve if you practice regularly. After a while, you can be barefoot anytime whatever the weather is. The more you practice the longer you can walk. And one day, you will be surprised of your own new physical skills: walking on fire, glass or thorn is not of a great difficulty for barefooters. Far from being magic, this kind of practice is the result of training. Learn to feel the earth: at the beginning you might be overwhelmed by incredible feelings, and then, with training and experience you will learn to predict enjoyable grounds before walking on them.
As any sport, a too intensive pratice without warm up is dangerous.